How to clean powder from a washing machine tray?

Limescale deposits and residues of washing powder or conditioner are difficult to wash out of the tray. Some of them remain in the tray. Over time, all this accumulates, lime-powdered “stalagmites” form in the tray, and they close the hole through which water is supplied. As a result, detergents do not enter the machine drum and washing becomes ineffective. And sometimes it even leads to car breakdown.

How to remove the dispenser?

If your car's tray is not too dirty, you can clean it without removing it from its slot. But if the contamination is strong enough, then for your own convenience, as well as for better cleaning, it is better to remove the container. This process can be difficult for beginners, but as you get used to your machine model, you will be able to remove the tray with one deft movement of your hands.

Different machine models have different dispenser trays. Therefore, before removing this part from your washing machine, carefully read the instructions.

In order to remove the tray, you usually need to do this:

1. pull it out all the way;
2. Pressing your finger on the cover of the air conditioner compartment, pull the tray towards you and down with a little force.

Now that you have the dispenser in your hands, you can use one of the following methods to clean it.

How to deal with dirty trays?

There are three ways to organize your powder tray:

1. clean it manually;
2. use chemical cleaning agents;
3. trust folk recipes.

Manual cleaning

If the powder receptacle is not very dirty, then hot water and a sponge may be enough to return it to its original cleanliness.

Simply wet the tray with water, thoroughly wipe all compartments with a sponge, and rinse again. You can use an old toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas.

Advice

Be careful not to scrub too hard or use a very stiff brush to avoid wearing out the plastic marks in the conditioner compartment.

If there is still dirt on the dispenser, you can leave it in hot water for a couple of hours and then repeat the cleaning procedure.

Without chemistry - nowhere

If you cannot get rid of limescale and hardened powder residues manually, do not despair; advances in the chemical industry will come to your aid. To clean the dispenser using active agents, you don’t even have to take it out of the machine.

The following preparations work well to remove stains from the dispenser and other parts of the washing machine.

• “Eona”, “Doctor TEN”, “Antiscale” will help with mild contamination.
• Frisch-aktiv removes dirt and lime deposits as well as unpleasant odors.
• Sandokkaeb and Bork K8P (Korean products) can cope with even fairly severe dirt.

When using chemicals, we recommend following the following algorithm.

1. Measure out the required amount of product (how much is required for cleaning is indicated in the instructions).
2. Pour or fill the product into the tray.
3. Remove dirty clothes from the machine, if there are any.
4. Set the temperature mode to 90-95 degrees and start washing with an empty drum.
5. After finishing washing, turn on the rinse mode.

These five steps should be enough to clean the powder receptacle. But if suddenly there is still something left, you can clean it with a brush. If this does not help, then it is best to remove the tray and soak it for 2-3 hours in hot water with the addition of chemicals. For example, such as the well-known “Domestos”, “Komet”, “Silit”, “Pemolux”, even “Toilet duckling” and “Sanfor-anti-rust” are suitable. Then you need to rub the part again with a brush and rinse under running warm water.

For those who do not accept chemicals

Household chemicals have become such a part of our lives that we can hardly imagine how people used to live without them. Chemicals, of course, make our life much easier, but they cause damage to our health. If the option of using chemicals to clean the tray does not suit you, then there are other, “folk” recipes. They are much safer for health, and their effectiveness is no lower, and often even higher, than that of chemical agents.

The most common cleaning agents for the tray include citric acid, vinegar and soda.

• Citric acid successfully replaces chemicals. In order to clean the tray of powder, citric acid is poured into it and the wash is started at a temperature of 70-75 degrees. With this method, not only the dispenser is cleaned of scale and dirt, but also other parts of the washing machine. In addition, acid eliminates unpleasant odors.
• Vinegar can be used to soak the tray. To do this, pour 1 liter of hot water into a plastic basin, add a glass of 9% vinegar and soak the container in this solution for 6-8 hours.After removal, the tray is cleaned with a brush, rinsed and wiped dry. The method takes time, but the result is worth it.
• Baking soda will help clean the tray from lime deposits and powder residues. Pour it into the compartments and moisten it with warm water. You can let it sit for a while. And then, using a toothbrush, go over the entire surface of the dispenser, not forgetting the hard-to-reach places. After this, wash the part with warm water and wipe dry.

We told you about the basic methods for cleaning the tray in a washing machine. In case of heavy contamination, this process requires quite a lot of effort and time. But it is much easier to prevent a problem than to correct it later. If you systematically monitor the cleanliness of the dispenser, then you will not have to suffer trying to scrape off fossilized lumps of powder. And you can significantly extend the life of your irreplaceable assistant.